wilson faenham



(NoModeL) E. W. FARNHAM,

PENMAN'S ARM REfi'I'.

Patented Deg. 5, 1882.

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E.- VVILSON FARNHAM, OF CHICAGO,

ATENT reins,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS A.

.STRAYER, OF SAME PLACE.

PENMANS ARM-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,474, dated December5, 1882. Application filed June 26, 188:2; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. WILsoN FARNHAM, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Penmens Arm-Rests; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and the'lettersof reference marked thereon, which form a part'of thisspeoification.

My invention relates to that class the object of which is to afford arest for the arm when writing on a surface above that upon which thematerial to be written on rests. It is a substitute for the ordinaryarm-rests having a transverse ledge or raised portion on one end of athin board, which latter is inserted between the leaves of the book,thus running the risk of injuring the same by tearing the leavesandaft'ording a very precarious rest for the arm. This I accomplish bymeans of two boards of rectangular or other suitable shape, one of.which rests on the table or desk, having one end slightly extended to bepushed under the book, the other being of the same shape,- minus theextension, and placed immediately above the bottom or lower board."These boards are connected at or near four corners by jointcdlinkswhose angles tend inward toward the line indicating the center of lengthof said boards, and which are so constructed and arranged that the upperboard or arm-rest proper can be raised to any desired elevation withinthe throw of said jointed links or inclined toward either end, as suitsthe convenience of the user, and maintained in such position,substantially as described in the following specification, and set forthor illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation.Fig. 2 is a plan view with the top board removed.

A and B representthetop and bottom boards, respectively. The bottomboard, B, is intended to rest upon the desk or other support upon whichthe writing material or book is placed, and has an extension, at, on oneend in the direction of its length, which is intended to be insertedunder the cover of the book, so as to keep the device from moving. Thisextension, though, may be dispensed with, and U-shaped spring-grasps maybe secured to the end of the board, so as to pinch the cover of thebook, in the stead of the same; or both may be dis pensed with, ifdesired, as it is conceived the weight'of the writers arm would holditstationary. The upper board or arm-rest proper,

into knuckles to receive the knuckles of the knee or jointed links 0 G O0, connecting the. boards A and B. These links are so arranged that theangles of the two joints near one end face or' operate toward the twolinks near the other end, thus securing a vertical motion, if desired.Theupper bars, 0 0, of two of the jointed links, 0 Gone on either sideof the device near corners diagonally opposite to each other-haveextendingin the direction of their length, and in a straight line to thelower board, the arms or extensions (1 d, which maybe made in one piecewith or securely fastened to the bars 0. These arms d are taperedtransversely at their lower ends to form a knifeedge, which engages withthe racks D D on the upper surface of the lower board, (see Fig. 1,) bymeans of which the arm-rest proper. may be maintained at any desiredelevation within the throw of the joints 0 C.

It will be observed from the construction above described that the upperboard or armrest may be inclined in the direction of its length ortoward its ends by adjusting the arm, at the end to be elevated, higheror toward the inner end of the rack, as suits the convenience of thewriter. If desired, the lower board could be dispensed with and an openmetal frame be used in its stead, and wire could be conveniently used toform the jointed links, so as to simplify device. I

By the above means I obtain a simple, cheap,

too

and convenient arm-rest, which would be an acquisition to the ordinarydesk material, and avoid the use and abuse of nondescript material inthe effort to procure a suitable elevation and incline of the arm.

. What I claim, therefore, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, isi 1.Thecombination of the boards, thejointed connecting-links, theextensions, and means, substantially as described, with which saidextensions engage, whereby the upper board is adapted to be raisedvertically, or be inclined toward either end and be maintained in itsadjusted position, as and for the purpose set forth.

substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I hereunto affix mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

' E. WILSON FARNHAM.

Witnesses:

JNo. L. BALLARD, E. L. MORPHY.

